Is Mercy Killing Really Merciful?

Washington, DC (LiveActionNews) — In a society where murder of the pre-born (and infanticide) is widely accepted, it is tragically unsurprising that the next step, child euthanasia, may soon take hold in a new way. This sad news comes out of the country of Belgium, where legislators are likely to approve a measure that will allow children who are “gravely ill” to be euthanized.

The bill, introduced by the Socialist party in December, would lay out guidelines for doctors to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not a child is mature enough to make the decision to end his or her own life, as well as whether a child’s health is grave and hopeless enough to warrant euthanasia.

Should a child ever be made to feel as if his or her life is “hopeless”? Belgian medical professionals and legislators say, “Yes.” But consider possible abuses: a parent who no longer wishes to care for a gravely ill child or disabled child could push for euthanasia. The fact is that the culture of death, which includes an acceptance of euthanasia as a good practice, does lead parents to believe that deathly practices are merciful and good. This unfortunate fact is illustrated by the shockingly high incidence of abortion following prenatal Down syndrome diagnoses (the statistic is as high as 90%).

Unsurprisingly, the mentality that some lives are not worth living has led to postnatal mercy-killings and euthanasia. Just this week, news broke that a mother and caregiver stabbed a fourteen-year-old autistic teen to death because his condition causes him to suffer, and the killers claim that he did not receive adequate medical care for his condition. According to CBS News, they have both been charged with first-degree murder.

No one is charged with murder, however, when very similar situations occur under the guise of “assisted suicide.” In a Kevorkian-like fantasy-turned-reality, twin brothers who were going blind committed assisted suicide rather than endure the inconvenience of living without one of their faculties. In a disturbingly nonchalant account, ABC News quotes a television show that captured the scenario before their death:

The men, who were born deaf, had a cup of coffee and said goodbye to other family members before walking into hospital room together to die, their doctor told Belgian television station RTL.

“They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering,” said Dr. David Dufour.

“They had a cup of coffee in the hall. It went well and a rich conversation. Then the separation from their parents and brother was very serene and beautiful,” he said. “At the last there was a little wave of their hands and then they were gone.”

Is there any doubt that the pro-life movement has a lot of work to do when a country nods its collective head at the idea that a less-than-perfect life is so horrible that dying is a better option than living? It is no surprise that in the same country where pre-born children can be aborted for convenience and adults can commit suicide to avoid inconvenience, Belgians are ready to legalize the killing of children in the crusade to avoid suffering at all costs.

LifeNews Note: Lauren is a former Legislative Associate for Texas Right to Life and a graduate of Ave Maria University. This post originally appeared at Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.